US Navy under secretary, Hung Cao, visits VFW and bases in Guam
BY PATRICIA SHOOK
Journal Staff
Hung Cao was sworn in as under secretary of the Navy on Oct.3. Serving as the Department of Navy’s chief operating officer and chief management officer, he oversees nearly one million Navy, Marine, and civilian personnel with an annual budget of $250 billion. He also serves as the Senior Defense Official for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
During a quick two-day tour of the island, Navy Under Secretary Hung Cao visited with military personnel at Naval Base Guam, Andersen Air Force Base, and Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz. Cao said the barracks and other structures at Andersen “weren’t so good, but Naval Base Guam looked great!”
Hung Cao, Under Secretary of the Navy, visited the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1509 in Mangilao on Oct. 20 in honor of the 50th anniversary of Operation New Life as part of a quick two-day tour of Guam. Photo by Patricia Shook
Both quality-of-life issues for the service members, and ongoing military construction projects in support of the regional buildup, were discussed with top brass and service members. An estimated 10,000 additional military and civilian are expected to serve in the region over the next several years — whether stationed in Guam or coming from abroad for training.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1509 in Mangilao hosted the visitors on Oct. 20 in honor of the 50th anniversary of Operation New Life, which Cao personally experienced as a child. Cao says his family was fortunate to have been able to flee Vietnam in1975, and he is grateful for the kindness shown in Guam. “It’s great to be back at the doorway to freedom where I first tasted the American dream,” he said. While Cao was only four years old, he says, “I remember my mom sewing a note into my waistband, just in case we became separated. My father carried me on his shoulders constantly.”
Cao rounded off the visit at the Governor’s Adelup Complex with Congressman James C. Moylan, Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, Lt. Governor Joshua F. Tenorio, and other military officials, followed by a press conference with local media. While he admitted it was too early in his new position to provide more definitive information, he said, “The bottom line is the United States will never abandon Guam.”
When asked whether the road hardening projects will entail placing underground electrical lines, Leon Guerrero said it would certainly be part of plans at the new hospital proposed for Mangilao – should the site be approved – but did not include the road projects for the rest of the island. The governor also suggested that existing cabotage rules and other burdens should be reconsidered in light of the high cost of living on Guam. mbj
On Oct. 24, hundreds of people gathered at the Skinner Plaza Park in Hagåtña for the rematriation ceremony of latte stones to Guam from the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
Speaking at the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Micronesia Chapter’s membership meeting on Oct. 21 in Yap, Anthony Falvo, senior manager for Pacific Network Planning for United Airlines, said incentives for airlines for a new route are not uncommon.
The Department of Public Works has issued a notice of violation to the developers of the Palisades subdivision, citing “inadequate control of storm water and erosion control features during construction,” which it says led to the Oct. 15 landslide in East Hagåtña.
Bank of Guam announced on Oct. 21 that payment assistance options are available to borrowers impacted by the federal government shutdown and a possible budget cut for the Northern Mariana Islands.
